STERLING — — The last two weeks have been ones of heart break and hard work for the employees at the Overland Trail Museum.

The staff spent Saturday, Sept. 14, preparing for a 100-year flood, moving artifacts from the downstairs room of the main building and the lower cases on the main floor and boarding and sandbagging vulnerable spots.

They were prepared, they thought, as well as they could be.

But those efforts didn't prepare them for the reality. Access to the museum was cut off by the South Platte River's spread across County Road 370. When curator Kay Rich was first able to reach the museum grounds — walking in from Highway 6 to the east side of the property — what she saw was hardly recognizable. The courtyard was completely submerged under rushing water.

Specialists work to sanitize and restore equipment from the print shop at the Overland Trail Museum Friday. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

It was a week before Rich and assistant Perry Johnson were able to get back to work, and really view the monumental task before them. Hardest hit were the metal Print Shop building, where water came in under the garage door, and the basement storage area under the Hamil Building. Water reached depths of 4 feet — possibly higher at times — in places.

The raging river wasn't the only destructive force. Even after the river receded, water stood on the grounds and in the buildings for a long time, creating stagnant pools that caused further damage and created conditions for mold growth.

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The good news, Rich said, is that the museum is really well-covered by insurance, and restoration specialists have been working hard to save the flood-damaged items. In addition to the items that were submerged, the crews are also treating artifacts that could be damaged simply by proximity to the water and resulting humidity, such as the leather saddles in the Anderson barn. There are separate specialists for items like artwork, furniture and clothing.

Crews work inside the original building of the Overland Trail Museum, where water only reached about 6 inches deep on the main floor. (Sara Waite / Sterling Journal-Advocate)

On Friday, a giant dehumidifier was at work in the Johnson addition, large hoses extending into the parking lot to remove detrimental moisture from the air. Meanwhile, she and her staff were busy moving sanitized items to safety and continuing the work of getting the soggy grounds cleaned up.

Rich said work to restore the artifacts and repair the damage to the buildings will take a couple of months, during which time the museum will remain closed. Special events, like this Saturday's Another Night at the Museum, will continue as scheduled, but plans will have to be scaled back as access to much of the grounds will be restricted. "We have to put our energy into recovering," she said.

In the meantime, the museum is accepting donations for flood recovery. Rich said the funds will be used to improve the museum's storage capacity and materials. Museum-quality storage supplies, such as acid-free tissue paper, are expensive, she noted. The money could also be used as matches for grant funds for more extensive storage projects.

RE-1 Valley School District has announced its policy for determining eligibility of children who may receive free and reduced price meals served under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program.
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